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Is it (or will it be) possible to install IIS 8 on Windows Server 2008 (R2) or it's only meant for Windows Server "8"/2012?

Mark Henderson
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yojimbo87
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2 Answers2

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Traditionally, it's always been one version of IIS to one operating system.

  • Windows XP - IIS 5.1
  • Server 2003 - IIS 6
  • Server 2008 - IIS 7
  • Server 2008 R2 - IIS 7.5

I see no sign of this changing in the immediate future.

Mark Henderson
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Actually, it is possible to install IIS 8, on Windows 2008, Windows 7 and Windows Vista, see IIS 8 Express Readme. However, this is the Express Edition, which is meant (as TomTom points out below) as an edition for developers.

Not sure whether the OP wanted IIS 8 in a production environment, or just for testing, developing or experimenting. In the latter case, you could just download and install it.

Note that some of the prime features of IIS 8 are not be available on the down-level platforms. Specifically, these are mentioned by Microsoft as not available on platforms before Windows 2012:

  • Server Name Indication (SNI)
  • Central Certificate Store
  • WebSocket Functionality
Abel
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    -1. hadly outdated given that the Express Edition is a "developer tool" and not a production web Server. – TomTom Nov 06 '12 at 12:50
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    @TomTom, you are right, it was a poor choice of words. However, the OP asks whether he can install IIS 8 on Win2k8 and he can, and the original answer doesn't reflect that. I changed the text to reflect the limitations better. – Abel Nov 06 '12 at 20:35